The Fundamental Characters Of Employment In The 21st Century: Impacts of Artificial

Intelligence, Internet Of Things, and Other Impending Innovation on Society

A Case Study

Presented to the College of Science of

Adamson University

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For

Science, Technology and Society

By:

Miron, Marielle Christel

Montejo, Alexandra

Oasin, Isaiah John

Saringan, Jonah Mae

Ugot, Fionaliz

March 2022
 Chapter I

Introduction

Fourth Industrial Revolution

Revolution is said to be an abrupt change in a system or society. It occurred throughout

history as science and technology interaction contributes to the development of economy,

lifestyle, social structure and other aspects. The First Industrial Revolution started in the

mid-18th century, followed by the Second Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century to early

20th century (Lavopa & Delera, 2021). Inventions continued to highlight technological

advancements, which led to the Third Industrial Revolution in the late 1900s. Unfolding over the

21st century, the Fourth Industrial Revolution was driven by the convergence of digital,

biological, and physical spheres (Schwab, 2021). It marked the release of digitalization, artificial

intelligence, genome editing, augmented reality, autonomous vehicles, robotics, industrial IoT,

etc. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) reconfigured and integrated the hardwares and

softwares to achieve greater goals, the advancement in production systems, and the seamless

interaction in an intelligent environment.

Impacts of Fourth Industrial Revolution

Many countries are embracing the new way of living in 4IR and sooner or later, the

whole world would be directly or indirectly and positively or negatively impacted by 4IR. This

revolution unfolds opportunities and challenges to the people and different aspects around the

world. It has the potential to raise the global income and improve the quality of living for most

populations around the world (Schwab, 2016). The consumers are the ones who benefit most

from the new products and advanced services, however this raises inequality as they are
accessible for consumers who can afford and access the digital world. In the world of work and

production, the innovators, investors and shareholders are the beneficiaries of 4IR while most of

the suppliers experienced an issue financially. This raises the financial or wealth gap between

those who depend on their labor and those who own the capital (Schwab, 2016).

In a country, the 4IR enables the citizens to engage with the government through new

technologies and platforms. The government also gains new technological power to improve

their surveillance system and to increase their control over the country and citizens. Moreover,

4IR has significant impacts on the environment and world’s economy. Automation technologies

offer greater productivity that advantages the large-scale production and even support

environmental sustainability through an efficient use of energy and organic materials, the

emission of less carbon, and the reduction of particulate pollutants (Lavopa & Delera, 2021). The

4IR on Global value chains (GVCs) improves the trade logistics and decreases the transaction

costs.

Despite all great opportunities, some researchers fear that dependency on advanced

technology could lead to widespread unemployment as workers are replaced by machines and

artificial intelligence. As it creates structural changes in the economy, it drives unemployment in

the unskilled labor market and employment increase in the skilled market (Butler & Buys, 2020).

According to Joseph Schumpeter, 20th century Austrian political economist, the unemployment

in 4IR is mainly frictional or defined as short-term unemployment as a result of technology

adoption. Conversely, an Italian economist, Pasinetti, explained that it is structural

unemployment as there is a great difference between the jobs available and the skills of the

workforce. The 4IR innovations such as AI and automation are expected to cause skill shifts in

different workplaces. According to Bughin et al. (2018), automation will have a massive impact
on the global workforce by 2030. A large number of workers will lose their jobs as automation is

adopted in different sectors such as the financial services, mining, healthcare, retail, and

manufacturing. Due to the fact that automation increases extraction and production in mining,

decreases demand for office-support in healthcares, disrupts production functions in factories as

it increases machine involvement, and spreading of self-checkout machines and robot servers.

Philippines Employment in Fourth Industrial Revolution

The Fourth Industrial Revolution Innovations are expected to be an emerging industry for

the Philippines, specifically artificial intelligence. Adoption of AI can potentially add 92 billion

USD to the Philippine economy by 2030 according to a research firm Kearney (Crismundo,

2021). The Department of Trade chief added that AI can assist farmers in identifying crops to

plant in a specific location or season and also, help micro, small and medium enterprises with

their production and operations. However, the Philippines, its labor market, and workers must be

prepared in embracing these advancements. According to Asian Development Bank (2021), 4IR

technologies will eliminate around a quarter of workers in IT-BPO and electronic manufacturing

industries. The International Labour Organization stated that the impact of automation on the

Philippines workforce is uncertain as it may either disrupt the need for human involvement in

workplaces or complement human tasks (ILO, 2020). Currently, the Philippine government

agencies and private sectors are addressing these possible labor market transformations brought

by 4IR or Industry 4. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is harmonizing their

program offerings; Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) developing

higher qualification standards, and; Department of Labor Employment (DOLE) and other

government agencies implementing programs that upskill Filipino workers with 2st century skills

(DOLE, 2019).
Statement of the Problem

The goal of this study is to determine the effects of dependency on advanced technology

of work labor on society. The world of work is already being transformed by artificial

intelligence. As stated in the study of Petropoulos and Bruegel (2017), some believe that most

professions will be automated, while others believe that robots will only perform a limited

number of duties in the future. This study focuses on the importance of work labor in the society

and how the fourth industrial revolution affects the said factor. The focal point of this research is

to determine how much technological advancement such as the 4IR affects the employment rate

in the 21st century. According to a study conducted by Makridakis (2017), artificial intelligence

(AI) has enormous potential, as computers and robots will most likely achieve, or come close to

achieving, human intelligence over the next twenty years, becoming a serious competitor to all

jobs currently performed by humans and, for the first time, raising doubts about human

competence. The main focus of this study is to determine the effects of emerging technology in

the employment of citizens. To answer this problem, this study sought to obtain answers to the

following specific questions:

1. Do the second-year Chemical Engineering students understand how the fourth

industrial revolution is transforming the way we live, work, and communicate?

2. What do students need to accomplish in order to remain employable in the future?

3. How does the current trend of technological advancements impact your future work

prospects?
Analysis of the Problem in the STS Perspective

Constant innovation of technology changes the way we live and how we will live our life

in the future. Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence from a computer or robot that was taught

by humans by inputting algorithms on them. From talking phones that will help you call

someone or write a schedule for you to self-driving cars that will drive you to your destination

safely, life has become easier and efficient as artificial intelligence and automation has been

introduced to us. Human dependence on artificial intelligence has increased since the pandemic

started. Schools and universities rely on google meets or zoom meetings just to continue

educating their students.

Stated by The World Economic Forum, almost 65 percent of enrolled students in primary

education will pursue a career in professions or jobs that have not been created yet. This means

that as the time progresses, artificial intelligence will create more jobs and opportunities. It is

normal for people to have fear of potentially losing their jobs because of artificial intelligence as

it happened before during the 80’s where people had “computerphobia” as they feared that

computers might replace them. But, according to McKinsey (2017), there will be more job

opportunities that will be created than jobs that will be lost in 2030 as artificial intelligence

becomes more relevant. They expect that in 2030, there will be 8-9 percent of labor demand that

artificial intelligence will create for the people. Automation will reduce the need for physical

labor, meaning that these laborers will have to learn a new skill to be able to fit or find work with

the occupations that will be introduced in the future.

The rise of artificial intelligence and other revolutionary societal technologies has been

reshaping this civilization in every aspect. These evolving technologies alter how people live and

work, having a significant impact on society and workforce. We, as students, are the primary

benefactors of these breakthroughs because we are tasked with utilizing and developing these

types of technologies in order to have a better grasp of how science and technology may be

advanced further, as well as inventing new ideas for new opportunities.

During the pandemic, online classes have been used to continue education for students all

over the world. With these severe changes and large adjustments occurring, students are

struggling to cope by relying on the technologies that are available to them. With the help of

AI-powered tools, it makes learning available to all students, at any time and from any location.

Each student learns at their own schedule, and having 24/7 access allows learners to try with

what works best for them without having to wait for an educator. Furthermore, according to

Karandish (2021), AI tools can assist students in honing their skills and improving weak points

outside of the classroom. They offer a one-on-one learning experience without the teacher being

available to answer questions at all hours of the day. In fact, an AI-powered chatbot can respond

to student questions in 2.7 seconds. Hence, it improves students' learning outcomes; yet, some

educators are concerned that in the future, AI technology may completely replace the position of

the instructor. Another consideration is that, after receiving a degree, a student must face the

realities of the labor force. With the advancement and impending technologies such as AI and the

internet of things happening around us, fewer job opportunities are presented. Although Artificial

Intelligence and the Internet of Things have significantly improved our world in many ways,

there are significant concerns about the future impact of AI and IoT on employment and the
workforce: there are predictions of millions of unemployed people in the coming decades,

primarily due to the impact of other societal impending innovations. While AI and IoT are likely

to replace certain occupations, a large number of new lines of work, even many we cannot fully

foresee now, will arise.

In the long term, certain positions and jobs will become less and less valuable, and

eventually obsolete. However, in most cases, these impending technologies will help people by

equipping them to perform better in complicated and important situations that involve judgment

and creative thinking as stated by Krasadakis (2021). Simultaneously, various new positions and

specialties with an emphasis on technology and science would emerge. For example, highly

trained individuals will be required to oversee, manage, or coordinate the training of complex

Artificial Intelligence systems in order to assure their integrity, security, objectivity, and proper

use. In a nutshell, while IoT and AI in the workplace may displace certain jobs, they can also

create new jobs and assist job seekers in avoiding unemployment. According to a World

Economic Forum report presented in the article about the Impact of AI on the Workforce (2021),

AI will produce a net total of 97 million new employment by 2025. Million additional

employment will be created by 2025. These instances reinforce the idea that rather than AI

taking employment, humans and AI will collaborate, and the influence of additional upcoming

advancements on the workforce will be positive.

Technology in the 21st century had a great impact in today's society. It can have a

positive and negative impact on humankind. On the positive note, technology has many useful

things that can do to civilization for instance, AI or the artificial intelligence that can help

mankind to search or do things for them easier and faster. However there are downsides and

terrifying things about the development of technologies. In the fourth industrial revolution this is

the start of the advancement of technologies that can only assist mankind in small tasks, although

that is what they thought only helping them to have a comfortable life. They don't know that

technology has advanced to the point of replacing them in their jobs. There are instances that

mankind has the ability to create new technologies to make the world more advanced and help

them make life easier. And that's the frightening humankind will face in the future if they make

more advancement in life.

The primary focus of technology should be to help humankind in their day to day life, for

instance the Tesla cars, it is an automated electric car that can help lessen drunk driving because

it is a self-driving car and can reduce the environment's air pollution. Another example is SIRI,

it is a voice-controlled personal assistant to help make a google search easier and faster. That

should be the only priority a technology would bring to humankind and not to the point of

replacing them with their own jobs. As time passes by humans will no longer be needed and

robots will be the ones who will take care of the jobs that humankind badly wants when they are

studying. Don't wait to the point that machinery will take all over the world. They are not the

only solution or only thing that can make our world better, there are different ways for instance

making the employee a number one priority on everything in order to make them not quit on

their own jobs.

their job. People need to see what is happening on what their fellow humans are doing to

machines. Let them learn that robots are not a good thing for our future. The good thing in our

future is to develop humans and understand what they need to make them stay on their jobs or

even quit. Advancement in technology is also important however not to the point of replacing

humans. Their only job is to make life easier and efficient in day to day life
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